Developing tourism associated with traditional markets

Traditional markets are the center of commercial and cultural activities in rural areas. In recent years, thanks to the dramatic changes in trading activities and customer service, many traditional markets have become attractive destinations for tourists to visit and shop.

Bai Thuong Market, Xuan Bai Commune (Tho Xuan).

From the past to the present, Doan Street Market, Lung Niem Commune (Ba Thuoc), has become an attractive destination for domestic and foreign tourists to shop and learn about the cultural beauty of ethnic minorities. According to research, Doan Street Market, also known as Don Street Market, has existed for a long time. The market only meets on Thursday and Sunday mornings every week. Previously, the market only sold products of ethnic minorities living in the area such as dried bamboo shoots, stream fish, brocade products, and wine. Nowadays, along with the socio -economic development and to meet the shopping needs of people and tourists, Doan Street Market has added many essential items such as citrus fruits, wine, crabs, snails, spices such as pepper, mac khen, and gold and silver metal products.

As a regular visitor to the Doan market to trade, Ms. Vi Thi Anh, Lung Niem commune (Ba Thuoc), said: At the market sessions, I often bring items such as vegetables, chicken, sticky rice, bamboo shoots... that I raise and grow myself to sell. In recent years, thanks to the development of tourism, especially in the Pu Luong Community Ecotourism Area, tourists often come to shop and visit, so the amount of goods we sell is quite large.

This is the second time visiting the Doan market to shop, Mr. Do Van Minh ( Thanh Hoa City), shared: Every time I have the opportunity to visit Pu Luong Community Ecotourism Area with my family and friends, if it is the Doan market, we always stop by the market to shop and visit. Coming here, I not only get to choose specialties of the mountain people but also immerse myself in the unique cultural space of the locality.

Located on the Chu River, Bai Thuong Market, Xuan Bai Commune (Tho Xuan) has a history of over 100 years, considered the central market - a transit point for goods connecting Tho Xuan District with Thuong Xuan and Ngoc Lac Districts. In recent years, thanks to the development of tourism in these districts, the market has also attracted a large number of tourists to shop. Present at the market in the morning, we saw that there were many items for sale and divided into convenient areas for people and tourists to shop, such as the fabric area, rice area, betel and areca nut area, food area, and the area specializing in the production and sale of agricultural tools. Ms. Do Thi Hoa, a trader in the market, said: I have been trading at the market for several years now, with vegetables, tubers, and fruits. This place not only attracts local people to shop, but also many tourist groups when coming to Thuong Xuan also stop by the market to shop. To serve the diverse needs of customers, in addition to vegetables and fruits grown by my family, I also purchase products from local people such as fresh bamboo shoots, dried bamboo shoots, snails and some other spices such as pepper, mac khen...

Going to traditional markets is one of the habits of Vietnamese people, because they can both visit and shop, especially for local, typical, and specialty products, and can also interact with local people. Therefore, developing tourism associated with traditional markets is a direction that many localities are interested in implementing, thereby attracting tourists to visit and shop. Accordingly, many localities have invested in building spacious, clean markets, focusing on building food safety markets to protect consumers. At the same time, they have increased their efforts to encourage small traders to change their service and trading methods, diversifying their products to meet the increasing needs of tourists. Along with that is promoting traditional markets, selling products on social networking sites such as Zalo, Facebook... This direction not only helps traditional markets expand their markets, increase purchasing power, create more income for local people, but also promotes socio-economic development and contributes to preserving and promoting the unique cultural values of the countryside.

Article and photos: Nguyen Dat

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/phat-trien-du-lich-gan-voi-nbsp-cho-truyen-thong-234187.htm